The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Many pickup trucks have trailer hitches that are attached to the rear end of a chassis. In contrast, a fifth wheel trailer hitch is typically mounted directly over the rear axle of a pickup truck. Thus, a fifth wheel trailer may contact the occupant cabin or cab of the pickup truck when, for example, the pickup truck makes a sharp turn.
A fifth wheel trailer includes a kingpin or gooseneck located near the front of the trailer that is inserted into the fifth wheel hitch on a pickup truck or semi-trailer truck to attach the trailer to the truck. Dynamic fifth wheel trailer hitches include a cam-actuated device that moves the entire trailer hitch rearward as kingpin rotates in the trailer hitch away from a position corresponding to the longitudinal centerlines of the truck and the trailer being aligned with one another. While dynamic fifth wheel trailer hitches may prevent contact between the trailer and the cab of the truck, they are much more costly than regular fifth wheel trailer hitches. In addition, dynamic fifth wheel trailer hitches are purely mechanical systems, and are therefore limited in their functionality.